When in Rome
by TheGlassKnight
Summary: When Daniel left NJ, he left behind not only his life, but his friend that had always had a crush on him. Now, the two will meet up 4 years later in Italy on a college trip. But while there, Daniel finds some old family history that hasn't exactly died...
1. Chapter 1

**This is more of a prologue rather than a first-chapter…but anyways, do read and review! And needless to say, I do not own the Karate Kid and nor do I claim to. **

**By the way, "Daniel" by Bat for Lashes is a brilliant song :D**

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><p><em>"Daniel" by Bat for Lashes<em>

Daniel, when I first saw you  
>I knew that you had a flame in your heart<br>And under wild blue skies  
>Marble movie skies<br>I found a home in your eyes  
>We'll never be apart<p>

And when the fires came  
>The smell of cinders and rain<br>Perfumed almost everything  
>We laughed and laughed and laughed<p>

And in the golden blue  
>Car you took me to<br>The darkest place you knew  
>And you set fire to my heart<p>

When I run in the dark, Daniel  
>To a place that's vast<br>Under a sheet of rain in my heart  
>I dream of home<p>

But in the goodbye bed  
>With my arms around your neck<br>Into our mouths the tears crept  
>Just kids in the eye of the storm<p>

And as my house spun round  
>My dreams pulled me from the ground<br>Forever to search for the flame  
>For home again<br>For home again

When I run in the dark  
>Into a place that's vast<br>Under a sheet of rain in my heart  
>I dream of home<p>

When I run in the dark  
>Into a place that's vast<br>Under a sheet of rain in my heart  
>I dream of home<p>

~One~

KNOCK! KNOCK!

_My eyes tore open and my body gave a violent jump. I let out a shuddering breath, thinking I'd imagined the knocks, but then they came again, harder and directly from outside my window. I hesitated for a moment, wondering whether I should dare to go check and see who had climbed up the fire escape to knock on my window. Curiosity and fear both got the best of me, though, and I pushed the covers off of my limbs and reached over under the bed to pull out my steel baseball bat. I got a good grip on the handle, which was difficult because I was sweating with agonizing suspense. But I still tip-toed across my room to the tiny window. When I got close enough and the knocks were getting more impatient, I quickly yanked the blinds open and prepared to swing—_

_And then I screamed briefly at the dark shadow that was face-to-face with me._

"_Easy, stupid, it's me," spoke the shadow in a muffled voice from behind the screen. It tilted its head more towards the moonlight and I could make out familiar features. Tan skin, a straight nose, dark eyebrows and black-diamond eyes—it was Daniel LaRusso, the boy who lived beneath my apartment. "Open the window, will ya?" _

"_Daniel, you idiot," I said in a whisper after yanking the window open to be chilled by the freezing night breeze. "You scared me to death—you know it's illegal to climb the fire escape, right? And what if my ma walks in? Even if she knows you well and all, she won't be too happy seeing you in my room in the middle of the night!"_

"_Oh, relax," he said. "Brrr. It's cold out here. Let me in, will ya?" _

"_Do _this,_ will ya? Do _that_, will ya?" I mocked in a high-pitched voice. "What am I, your maid? And I am not letting you in!" _

"_Why, 'cause I'm in my pajamas?" He grinned and pointed at his white cotton shirt and sweats. "And I look sexy?"_

"_Ew! No!" I blurted. _

"_Relax, I don't mind, it's only you, anyways. C'mon, let me in before I freeze to death." I glared at him. Of course, I was always "only me."But I moved aside and let him climb through the window. _

_Daniel LaRusso was my friend—it was a weird friendship, since we argued and fought a lot, but we were good friends nonetheless. My ma and his ma were like besties or something like that, and they usually did groceries or got their nails done together. It's this thing with Jersey moms—they're all pretty close. Daniel and I met before our moms became friends, but we became friends only afterwards._

_I was glad it was pretty dark in my room even with the moonlight glittering—I didn't want him catching glimpse of my bed-head or embarrassing jimjams. I mean, I was wearing boys' boxers and a Carebear shirt. That was anything but good-looking. And as much as I hated to admit it, I actually kind of liked Daniel and I wanted to…well…look presentable. Not that he would ever guess it, of course. He was too busy winning the hearts of those beauties like Judy Pinnet. He'd never, ever guess that quiet little Lorraine that lived in apartment 4A was even a girl. Even if I started dressing like a girl, or let my hair grow out so that I could keep it down, or wore make-up like other girls, Daniel would remain unknowing. That's just the way it is. Everyone's too busy gazing at the stars to notice what marvels are already beneath their feet. _

_Basking in the moonlight, Daniel looked like an Italian teen model or something, and I couldn't help but feel the butterflies soar in my stomach. He leaned on the ledge of the window, his eyes gleaming the reflection of dim street lamps and the bright full moon, and rubbed his arms. "You know what, Rainey? I'm gonna miss these cool nights."_

"_What do you mean?" I asked. _

"_I mean—well, I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier but…" he sighed. "I'm moving."_

"_Moving?" I folded my arms across my chest. "_Why_ didn't you tell me this earlier?" _

"'_Cause I couldn't, okay?" _

"_Why not? What number?" _

"_Wait—what?" He raised a dark eyebrow at me._

"_What apartment number?" I persisted. "You have to tell me. I mean, I've got to find a way to sneak to your apartment in the middle of the night and scare the crap out of you too, right?" I grinned._

_Suddenly, Daniel's face fell. He looked like he was struggling with words. Finally, he said, "Oh, Rainey, I'm—I'm not moving to a different apartment. I'm, um, moving to California." _

_My eyes widened and my grin faded. "What?" _

"_Yeah," he said shakily, his onyx eyes gleaming. "My ma got a job offer and she took it up and so… I'm leaving tomorrow at noon…" _

_It's funny how pain takes so long to sink in. I stood there, dumbstruck, running over what Daniel had said. California. That was all the way across the states. I'd never see Daniel again…I felt this horrible pain in my throat as if I'd swallowed a rock. No more Daniel LaRusso? That meant no more fun days at the car wash throwing buckets of soap water at each other. No more annoying boy blasting music from beneath my room every weekend. No more perfect afternoons watching in puzzlement at all these middle-aged women (our moms included) gossip in the apartment while knitting in their "Stitch and Bitch" club. No more flicking French fries at each other and our friends at lunchtime at school. No more "friend to secretly like". No more Daniel. I felt terribly strong tears gush in my eyes and I quickly turned around so that my back was to Daniel. _

"_Rainey?" he asked softly, placing a hand on my shoulder._

"_What?" I snapped. Why hadn't he told me this earlier? Why did he wait so long? How was I going to recover? If he had told me, we would've been able to spend some time together and I could've recovered quickly. Now I was left to shatter. _

"_I'm, uh, sorry." He really sounded very genuine. I wanted to turn back and show him how hurt I was so that maybe he would realize how much I really enjoyed his company, and how much I liked him. But I kept my back to him as if it were a shield, blocking me from feeling anything more than the pain and sadness I felt then. Daniel didn't like me. What was the point?_

"_Sorry won't cut it, Daniel." My voice was trembling, but I know that Daniel wouldn't notice, considering he was the most foolish and oblivious boy and would always be. _

_Silence cottoned around us in clumps. I took that brief period to take deep breaths as the hot tears were streaming violently down my face, hesitating when they were hanging on my chin and then dripping on to my tee. They were threatening to pour down more, and I couldn't let them, because then I knew I'd start sobbing. _

_Soon, Daniel spoke in a shivering but certain voice. "I'll miss you, Rainey."_

_That made my barrier melt. The tears were practically waterfalls on my face, and I bit the side of my mouth and held my breath to prevent myself from making any sobbing sounds. Daniel stood there for a moment, waiting for me to say something, but I said no more, because if I even opened my mouth, all the sadness would leak out. _

_Daniel sighed after a minute. "Uh, well, bye." He still had his hand on my shoulder, and he streaked his thumb across my shoulder-blade in what was supposed to be a comforting way, but although I tingled at his touch, it reminded me of years ago when kids would make fun of me for having broad-ish shoulders, and how Daniel had actually admired them. What was I going to do without him? _

_He jumped out the window hastily and closed it while I turned my head so that he couldn't see my side profile. Then, when he vanished down the stairs of the fire escape, I let the blinds and my barrier of strength fall down, and I leaped onto my bed head-first and let the cotton of my sheets absorb my tears and stifle my screams and sobs of pain. And all the while, I placed a hand to my heart, which was drumming a lonely beat, because that's where it hurt the most._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two! Do enjoy and please review :} **

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><p>~Two~<p>

Six o'clock in the morning and I was wedged between two complete strangers and on a flight to the Leonardo Da Vinci airport in Rome, Italy. I had really wanted to take this trip—it would be such an educational experience and it would really strengthen my knowledge of Roman history. You have no idea how difficult it was to convince my ma and dad to let me go on this tour. They didn't even care with the fact that I was going to be going with two of the fine arts college classes in Queens College and NYU and that it was only for a week. But in the end, my dad caved in, and my mom followed.

Yet now, even after working _so_ hard to convince my protective parents to allow me, I really missed home. That was saying something, because my home for the past three years has been an eerie house in Queens, New York, right across from a rusty shopping centre. The summers were scalding, the winters were freezing, but it was home, nonetheless. And I missed it. A lot.

I sighed at the album in my lap and leafed through the pages. My eyes glided over old family pictures: me as a boyish baby in overalls being suspended by my father in front of a cake. A three-year-old-me crying because ten year old cousin snatched my doll. A seven year old me in front of a brand new apartment building in Newark, New Jersey. That picture was taken shortly after my ma and dad divorced.

The pictures got more emotional with every page turn. Me with my short bob-cut hair as straight as silk, smiling in my overalls to show off my dorky braces. Next to me was a boy, a little taller, parked on his bike. I let out another sigh and touched the photo gingerly. That was Daniel LaRusso.

I can't tell you what I felt when he left, but I was so shattered that I couldn't even go down into the lobby to tell him goodbye. I fell into a period in which I called my life depression, and my mom took note at how sad I was. She thought it was because I missed my father—and so, a year after he'd moved, Ma and Dad got back together. I guess you could say my life was complete again. But although I slowly recovered from the loss of the person I missed the most, the scars still remained on my heart, fading slightly but not completely.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the aircraft is preparing to land in fifteen minutes. Please take your seat and buckle your seatbelts. We hope your stay with us has been enjoyable and we hope to see you with us again."

_Finally. _Seven hours is a hell of a trip. I tucked away my album in my handbag, buckled my seat belt and then carefully pushed the head of the woman beside me off of my shoulder. _Lorraine Martin, you're in Italy! _With that thought, I pushed aside my old wounds and waited for the plane to land.

It took an hour to hustle all sixty of the students out of the plane and then check them through immigration and all that fun stuff. The airport was filled with Italian chatter, and I could pick up a few words, but that's only thanks to my dad. He's French and he taught me most of the language, and French and Italian are slightly similar.

As we shuffled through the confusing airport, I had stayed close to my friend, Ramona, so that I wouldn't get lost. She was real familiar with traveling independently. Then again, it was expected she would be, because she was thirty-two years old, married, and two months pregnant. College is such a diverse place—so many races and ages of people. Though I don't think you can get any more diverse than curly-haired, brunette, Ramona. She was really mature and friendly, and the two of us got along well. The only downside was that she was always looking for a boyfriend for me. The truth is, I'd never had a boyfriend, and I never wanted to, because boys were so complicated. But Ramona never stopped bugging me about it. Even when I told her that I'd learned my lesson from Daniel, she still persisted. And the fact that she was pregnant made her only more stubborn.

"Oh, come on, forget Daniel," Ramona said sagely as we were in baggage claim. For the past ten minutes, she had been trying to convince me to look at the Italian boys, and the Daniel excuse was starting to fade. "Look, we're in Italy. There are probably loads of other Italian boys here. He _was _Italian, right?"

"Yeah," I said, keeping my eyes out for the suitcase with the curly red ribbon on the handle. My suitcase was supposed to be somewhere near Ramona's, but she had already gotten hers, and mine was kind of missing momentarily. "But how many times do I have to tell you? I don't want to be in a relationship."

"Why not?" Ramona said, raising her eyebrows so that her blue eyes widened. "You're twenty—"

"Nineteen," I corrected, catching sight of my suitcase.

"—and available—"

"School-indulged," I corrected again, gripping onto the handle and yanking the suitcase with all my might.

"—and attractive—"

"As if," I snorted. The suitcase wouldn't budge.

"Will you please just let me finish?" Ramona interjected impatiently. As soon as she said it, the suitcase flung of the carousel and swung sideways, sending me to the floor. Ramona laughed and held out a hand and I took it, got up, and stretched. "Alright, go on."

"What I meant to say was, what if I show you someone really cute? Will you give them a shot?"

She looked so eager that even her freckles were twinkling. I couldn't help but smile. "Fine. But only"—I raised a finger before she could attack me in a hug—"if they look like they have sense." I was actually lying—I still didn't want a boyfriend. But I only agreed to give Ramona some joy. After all, she deserved it.

"That's my New Yorker!" She slapped my back. "Alright, let's see…what about the cutie in the red?"

Ramona jabbed a thumb to her left and I glanced quickly before sticking out my tongue in disgust. "He's so buff, he looks like the Hulk."

"Okay, what about…" She tapped her chin, and then suddenly, her face lit up. "What about that skinny one in the corner?"

I followed her gaze. "Gag me with a spoon! He's got a goatee!"

"Picky, aren't you? _My _husband grew a goatee and it looked great on him—"

"That's _your _husband," I reminded her. She sighed and leaned on her suitcase as Mr. Brunel hollered if all the students had their suitcases.

"Okay, okay." Ramona let out another sigh and her eyes darted left to right. Then, she grabbed my shoulders suddenly and spun me around to look across the carousel, her chin on my shoulder. "Okay, look straight ahead. In the blue and white shirt. Aviator shades on. How about him, hmm?"

I studied the guy. He looked decent, and he was helping an old woman grab her suitcases from the carousel. So polite. I shrugged and lied, "He's okay."

I looked at his shirt, and I could make out a round sticker that read "NYU" on it. So he was a New Yorker. That's a plus. And those broad shoulders? Mmm.

"He's hot, hmm?" Ramona whispered in my ear. I could already picture her wiggling her eyebrows up and down.

"Sure, sure." _Oh yes, he is. _

And then suddenly, the guy smiled at the old woman, who waved him farewell and pushed her cart of suitcases along, and he took of his sunshades. I immediately frowned and my heart began beating up a storm that swam through my veins and tingled my entire body with excitement, fear, and confusion. I quickly clutched the left side of my chest.

"What's wrong?" Ramona asked hastily, spinning me back around to face her. "Does your boob hurt?"

"Wha—no!" I said. It was a ridiculous to ask, considering I wasn't even touching my boob. I turned back sideways and looked at the boy carefully. _It couldn't be. It can't be. It is! _

"What's wrong, Rainey!" Ramona asked, now alarmed and impatient. "Tell me!"

"That's—he's—!" I was suddenly finding it harder to breathe.

Ramona violently shook me. "_Spit it out_!"

I turned back to face her panic-stricken face. If she looked that alarmed, I could only imagine how the shock was painted on my face.

"_That's_ Daniel LaRusso!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay guys, so here's chapter three, and it DOES switch from Lorraine's point of view to Daniel's :] I'm not sure if I'll switch in the later chapters, but I just figured that this chapter would be better off to created two different POV'S. Anyways, this is basically where the story kind of kicks off. :} Enjoy and please review :D Oh, and thanks to the people who reviewed already! You guys are **_**fantastique! **_

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><p>~Three~<p>

_~Lorraine~_

A million thoughts shot through my head at that point. I felt elated and furious and puzzled and distressed all at once. I mean, I was happy to have finally seen Daniel. He'd gotten so tall and more mature looking. But I was kind of angry that he'd left and didn't so much as write to me. And I was sad because he probably had seen loads of pretty girls in California. But most of all, I was confused. Why was he here? I mean, I didn't know he went to college in New York, too.

Thankfully the professors did roll call in small groups, because I was pretty sure Daniel would recognize my name immediately. When we took our first steps out in Rome, I realized right then that it was beautiful. The architectural prosperity of Italy will always amaze me. But my mind was still attached to the fact that Daniel LaRusso was right here in Italy, probably not too far away from me. It had been four long years since we'd seen each other. And here he was. Right here. He probably hadn't noticed me, since I hadn't noticed him until we landed. So all I had to do was walk over there, tap him on the shoulder and say ever so sweetly, _Hey, Daniel! Remember me? _And then he'd take his shades off and get a good look at me and say, _Oh yeah, I know you! _

And that was the exact reason I _couldn't _approach him.

"Why don't you just say hi?" Ramona impatiently asked, rubbing her tiny bulge of a stomach. Mr. Brunel and another professor had rented a bus for all the students to pile into, and everyone was marveling at the beautiful sights that Rome had to offer under the crystal skies. I was worrying so much, though, so it hard to pay attention.

"Okay, there are two problems," I explained. "One, I haven't slept in more than seven hours, and it doesn't help at all because of jet lag. So I'm not exactly in the mood. And two, Daniel and I said goodbye rather oddly, so I can only imagine that saying hello after four years would be worse."

"Oh, you think things over way too much," said Ramona dismissively. She fished in her purse and pulled out a little square packet or ketchup and tore it open before sucking on it. "Boys don't ever feel awkward," she said as best as she could, because the packet was hanging from her mouth as she tried to zip her bag closed. "Time heals everything for them."

I blinked at her with her packet of ketchup.

"What?" she asked, clueless. "It's cravings."

I laughed and she laughed too. Together, it sounded like bells.

Although everyone was dried out from jet lag, we only had one day to rest up at our fancy hotel a little south of Rome. The college trip was only for a week, after all. I was sharing a room with Ramona. The rooms were pretty, with wide windows and striped walls and two large fluffy beds beside modern lamps.

Ramona, who only needed to sleep eight hours in order to rejuvenate her senses, spent most of her time awake watching Italian soap operas with subtitles and eating odd foods. I, on the other hand, felt like a dried raisin with weights hanging on my chin, and so I spent most of the day sleeping in patterns—I'd sleep for three hours and then wake up to eat or use the restroom, and then sleep back again and so forth. This continued until six thirty in the morning, when Dr. Phyllis Tristan, one of the professors from NYU, came into all of our rooms to wake us up and tell us to get ready. We would be touring Rome in high speed, starting with the _Galleria nazionale d'arte moderna, _or the National Gallery of Modern Art.

I didn't want Daniel to recognize me at all, so I tried to dress "low-key" by pulling on things like black stockings and a black trench coat and big black shades. When I emerged from the bathroom, however, Ramona caught sight of me and laughed.

"I look stupid, don't I?" I asked in an expecting tone.

"Who are you, the next James Bond?" She laughed even harder. "All you need is a blonde wig or something!"

"Okay, okay," I said, sighing gravely and pulling of the trench coat and the shades. I sat on the side of my bed. "I just don't want Daniel to recognize me."

"So what if he does?" Ramona walked over to sit next to me.

"It'll be so awkward," I explained. "I just…I don't know, for some reason, I think that something bad will happen if we speak to each other."

"You can't pretend you don't miss being friends with him," Ramona said wisely. "Right?"

"I guess so…" I sighed again. "But I feel like…like…I don't know."

"You feel like you'll get hurt again," finished Ramona. She hit the nail right on the spot.

"Yeah."

"Well, I can't convince you to do anything you don't want to…but I do have some advice. Just dress, well, normally, like you would have if Daniel wasn't here. Let whatever happens after that happen. Just have fun today, okay? I mean"—she flopped down on the bed happily—"we're in _Rome!_ This is a great opportunity and it probably won't happen again so don't let some dumb boy ruin it."

I smiled. "You know what, Ramona?"

"Hmm?"

"You're going to be a great mom someday."

She let out a snort and wrinkled her nose. "Sure—if I have a girl."

In the end I went for a "normal" look, which consisted of a cotton baby blue sweater and khaki shorts. It wasn't anything special, but it was comfy. We took the rental bus to the National Gallery of Modern Art. Half of the fun was driving through Rome and looking at the beautiful buildings with sky-high ceilings carried by roman columns and the streets flooded with tourists much like ourselves. It was all so beautiful that I nearly forgot all about Daniel LaRusso.

_Almost._

Don't get me wrong. The museum was massive. They had lots of famous paintings, like Van Gogh's _Il Giardinier, _which my dad had a printed copy of in the living room. But I was constantly worrying to stay in the background just to not be noticed by Daniel. There was one scary moment where, when looking at _La Creazione Delle Luce_, he was directly behind me. I'd thrown my camera sideways on the floor and left to pick it up just to avoid the situation.

One of the pieces of art that really captivated me was _Il Sole_ by Giuseppe Pelizza. It was basically a painting of a beautiful sun shining brightly over a great mountain and resting over the valleys. I barely listened to what the professor was saying, because just by staring at the photo, I felt like an eagle perched on a high tree, gazing at the beautiful sun that was gracefully kissing the peaceful nature beneath it. Something about this painting was really enchanting, and I think it was because as a kid, I'd dreamed of owning a house on the tip of a mountain where I could watch the sunrise.

"All right, everyone," Mr. Brunel boomed, "let's go over to the next exhibit room where you'll find Monet's painting, _Ninfee Rosa_…"

I quickly shook out of my trance and placed my bag on the ground to take a proper photo. I wanted to show this one to ma. She always loved sunsets.

"Come on," Ramona called impatiently, pulling my arm. "We can't be left behind or else we'll get lost."

I took another look back at the painting as everyone flooded past me. "Alright, let's go."

_~Daniel~ _

I can't tell you what I felt when I first stepped off that airport. All I know is that there was this feeling of home that was all warm and fuzzy. I mean, I'm Italian, and so is Ma and my dad, but I'd never been to Italy. And it was so strange to know that the exact same place that I was at was where my ancestors were from. And also, it kind of gave me the spooks to think that I probably had some distant relatives nested right in Italy and I wouldn't know. Italy, in all, was a great place, with art _everywhere._

"And don't forget the girls," my friend Mitch said as we were in the bus. "Now _that's _what I call art. There are probably loads of hot Italian chicks, huh?"

I snorted. "If I tell you the luck I'd had with women, Mitch…" It was terrible. When I moved to California and met that blonde, Alli, I actually thought she was 'the one'. I mean, she was cute, funny, smart…but then she dumped me for a football player from UCLA. And then, in Okinawa, there was pretty Kumiko, who was supposed to come to California, but gave it up for acceptance into a dance school. After that, I'd decided I'd needed a break from women.

"Oh come on, these are women of your _kind_," Mitch complained. He shook his head of shaggy blonde. Mitch and I were good friends and all, but sometimes, I didn't get him. He only talked about two things. Girls and food. And that was about it.

I laughed. "I'll pass, in case one of 'em turns up to be my long-lost cousin or something."

My first actual day in Italy I spent mainly sleeping, eating, and calling Ma to tell her that I had reached, I was safe, Rome was great, and to tell Mr. Miyagi that I said hi. I actually hadn't planned on taking the trip to Italy, 'cause it was really pricey, and I already had enough to worry about with paying for my dorm and all that stuff. But when Ma found out about the trip, she told me that she'd pay now and that I could pay her back later. When I asked her why she wanted me to go so badly, she said it was for the 'educational experience'. I know better. My ma had let me take up the NYU offer just to experience New York girls, and after seeing that I still don't have a girlfriend, she wanted me to search abroad. Honestly, sometimes I think she's dying for me to get married so that she could have grandkids or something. I don't think she remembers I'm only twenty.

After the day of resting, the QC and NYU classes took a trip to the _Galleria nazionale d'arte moderna. _It was packed with cool art and elaborate sculptures. There was one painting, however, that really grasped my attention. It was called _Il Sole_, which means the Sun in Italian. It reminded me of this story my dad used to tell me as a little boy—about this lion in the sky that ruled all of the Earth. I feel emotionally attached to it, and even when everyone was leaving the exhibit, I stayed behind to shoot a couple of good photos and stare at it some more.

"If you get lost, it's not my problem," Mitch teased, slapping me on the back.

"I'll be fine," I assured him. He shrugged and left with everyone else.

I shoved my hands in my pockets and sighed. Gosh, that painting brought back so many old memories. I could almost smell musk from Dad's cologne and hear his deep, rusty voice imitate the roar of the lion, the one that used to make me scream in fright. I smiled to myself and looked at the floor. Dad was a good man. It was too bad he died so soon. He would've loved to see me grow up.

I sighed and slapped my pockets. New people were swarming in the exhibit now, all Italian men, who were tough-looking and rugged. They gave me funny looks, as if they found me annoying or something. One of the guys had such hateful gray eyes that I became a little bit suspicious about these men. They looked as if they would rob the museum exhibit or something. I raised my eyebrows at them and shouldered my backpack, ready to leave.

But just as I was about to exit, I heard a voice behind me call "HEY!"

I turned around and saw the same man with the intense, hateful eyes. He was holding something in his meaty hand. "You dropped this?" He had a very thick Italian accent. I couldn't see what was in he held, so I walked over to him and he held it out for me. It was an American quarter. I didn't remember carrying any money, but it must've been in my pocket somehow and fell out.

"Oh, uh, thanks, sir" I said, taking the quarter and placing it in my pocket.

He grinned. "No problem, LaRusso."

I paused for a moment, at a loss for words. Finally I managed to ask, "How do you know my last name?"

Immediately, the hairs on the back of my neck rose. I quickly turned around and saw that all of the men in the exhibit had surrounded me, and the exit door was closed. The men had evil, grim looks on their faces that spelled trouble. Instinct took over me and I braced myself for a fight. "You know that there's cameras in the exhibit, right?" I asked. As soon as I said it, one of the men pulled out what I thought was a knife and shot it directly at the black orb in the corner of the room. It shattered immediately in a burst of ebony. _So much for cameras. _

The grey-eyed man behind me surrounded me like a vulture surrounds open meat. I steadied my breathing and waited for something to happen. Finally, the man stepped out of the circle of his cronies and leaned against the closed door with a bored expression on his face. And then—

"_Get him." _

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><p><strong>OKAY I know they haven't met yet...but they will in the next chapter (and in the strangest way, too...) <strong>**:) **


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks so much to those who reviewed :D Hugs to you all! **

Four

_~Lorraine~_

I was really enjoying looking at the exhibition we were in, but then, only about three minutes afterwards, I slapped my head, remembering that I'd left my bag on the floor in the other exhibition.

"I'll be right back," I whispered to Ramona. "I left my bag at the other exhibition."

"Well hurry up and go get it before one of the professors notice you're missing," Ramona advised. "If they do a roll call or something, I'll double for you."

"Alright." I slipped further behind the crowd and then vanished, briskly slipping past people and making my way down the hall towards the other exhibition. I tend to have these weird freeze-panic-attacks. It's kind of when my eyes get real big and my breathing halts all together and I stay real quiet. This happened to me while I was walking—I was too busy worrying whether someone stole it or moved it.

I found the exhibition with its blacked-out doors and quickly pushed them open. It took all my might, because they were really heavy, and I'm not exactly the world's heavy weight champion. I was so busy worrying about my bag that I didn't realize I'd knocked a man face-flat on the floor until I'd fully opened the door.

I screamed, slid to the left wall, and placed my hand to my mouth, afraid that I'd killed him. And it was then that I heard the sound of punches and I looked up, away from the man, and saw the last thing I ever expected.

It was Daniel LaRusso.

Kicking ass.

I had another freeze-panic-attack and I just stood there, waiting for my nerves to burst with shock or something, watching handsome, strong Daniel, his back faced to me, move with such grace and punctuality, fighting off about six other men, all taller and buffer than him. It was like watching a movie. He drew his leg in a perfect right angle and swung it at one of the men's head, and I watched the impact with interest, the man's jaw twisting oddly, and his entire body collapsing to the floor. I could only imagine the pain of the blow. Then Daniel spun around and defected a punch from another man before letting his own fist crash into the man's chest. I knew right away that Daniel's moves were those of karate, because my father used to do a little in order to become a better police officer, and I used to watch him test-fight at the academy and marvel at his moves. But Daniel's moves were more elaborate…more delicate but sturdy, like a spider's web.

While everything around me happened in slow motion, I caught sight of my poor knapsack, lying amiss on the floor. I debated whether I should run to get it or run away, but for some reason, my body got impatient waiting for orders and flung itself towards my bag.

That was really a brainless choice, because at that exact same moment, Daniel stepped left and stood between me and my bag. He swung at the guy in front of him, and then, miraculously sensed my presence and spun around…only to kick me straight in the ankle. All of a sudden, a million black portals erupted into the air, and I yelled out as pain shot straight up to my hip. That wasn't the worst part. I fell straight downwards, my body painfully smacking on the tile. I raised my upper body to get a good grip on my ankle, and saw Daniel with this wild look on his face, like a mix between confusion on shock. He quickly ran towards me, which was also a bad choice, because the guy that was on the floor was blocking his path, and before I could warn him, Daniel tripped…

…and pretty much toppled right on top of me, knocking the wind out of my lungs.

He paused for a moment, carefully studying my face, and then his eyes widened. "_Rainey?"_

"Hey?" was all I could say with limited air.

"Look at you," he said in awe, giving me a heart-melting side smile. I caught sight of motion in the corner of my eye.

"_Look out!" _

It was pointless to say because Daniel didn't have to do anything—I pushed him off of me and he landed to my left, flat on his back, and I rolled right over him, milliseconds before one of the men smashed a metal bar the exact same place we were before.

Detached from the pain in my ankle, I scrambled to my feet and grabbed Daniel's hand, pulling him up with me. "Come on!" I commanded, quickly stooping low under the man's arm to grab my bag and then smacking him in the face with it before racing out of the exhibition and down the hall where the entrance to the museum.

Daniel and I had to blurt out lots of excuse me's and sorry's as we pushed through loads of people and made our way towards the blinding light—the exit.

Out in the city, it was fairly warm, but when you're running with merciless speed like we were, the wind suddenly becomes a thousand times bitter. My feet were barely touching the ground, since Daniel was running five times faster than I was, so I was basically being yanked forward. It was then that reality hit me. First the negatives:

_I'm running away from the museum. _

_I'm going to be in so much trouble. _

_There are bad, bad guys behind me. _

And then the positives:

_Daniel noticed me._

_He said "Look at you". _

_He's holding my hand. _

For a split second, I was overwhelmed with my mix of emotions to the point where I felt like I was going to skyrocket out of the world. And then, in an instant, everything died down, and I felt detached from everything. Except Daniel. I felt like I could laugh with how funny everything was—the guy in Italian, yelling angrily at us for jumping over the stroller, the wind whistling in my ears, the eyes of millions of people suddenly focused on us. And Daniel must've felt the same way, because when I was level with him, I looked at him straight in the eyes, and he looked back.

And together, we laughed for what seemed like eternity.

But it was only a second, I swear.

Our laughing moments were over once we'd lost those crazy guys. We'd ran all the way into a tiny motel, knocked over the information officer, dodged two bellhops who began saying foreign words that obviously weren't blessings, and soon bumped into a grumpy short man with a toothbrush mustache, who blocked our path and, when he saw my swollen ankle, ushered the both of us into his motel room.

We'd been holding hands up until then.

The man, who spoke clear English, told me to sit down on the couch while he grabbed the first aid kit. While he was gone, Daniel knelt down beside the couch and examined my ankle.

"I'm really sorry," he said sheepishly. "I didn't know it was you."

"Or else you wouldn't have kicked me, I hope?" I smiled at him. I felt like I was sixteen again, falling all over for Daniel once more.

He gave me a disappointed look. "I can't believe you didn't notice me!"

"More like you didn't notice me," I replied.

"Well, how could I?" he said. "I mean, what's all this?" He motioned from my head to my toes.

"What do you mean?"

"You grew your hair out, and you're not wearing overalls, and your braces are off."

"You didn't think I'd wear them forever, did you?" I replied serenely. Daniel grinned, but then his smile faltered and he frowned.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"What happened with us?" he asked. "I mean, I don't really remember what happened between us the last time we saw each other, but all I know is that you were angry or something…"

"Yeah," I said, remembering every aspect of that night, and right as my mind lingered on our last words exchanged, my heart let out a painful leap and I put a hand to it.

"I mean, we were such good friends," Daniel said with another sigh, standing up to sit down next to me on the battered couch. "And then it all just fell flat. Why?"

"Why?" I repeated, gripping the seat of the couch and clenching my teeth. "You left for California, that's why."

"Oh come on," Daniel said, tipping his head back and putting a hand to his forehead. "I couldn't help that."

"You could've at least told me earlier," I snapped back.

"I couldn't, okay?"

"Why not?"

"Because it's hard to tell one of your best friends that you're leaving for all the way across America!"

I sighed deeply and sat back in the couch, my ankle throbbing right along with my heart. "And isn't it harder to watch them stand there dumbstruck when you tell them last minute?"

Daniel said nothing, so I figured my point was proven. Finally, he looked at me with his brilliant dark eyes and raised an eyebrow. "Your accent got thicker."

I smiled. "Really? Yours is almost gone. I'm surprised you're not talking like those cute Valley Girls and Boys, huh?"

"Mine is _not _gone."

"I said almost."

"It's not even almost gone!"

I laughed. "You only sound like you live in the Tri-State area when you get angry."

Daniel gave me another side-smile, and the butterflies soared in my stomach. "I guess I need to get angry more often, huh?"

I punched him in the shoulder. "Oh, shut up."

It was almost as if we were kids again—innocent, happy, cheerful, hearty kids with nothing on our minds but school and friends.

_Almost. _


	5. Chapter 5

**Big thanks to Hayden, who's always reviewing :D There's a cycle, you see:**

**More reviews, happy author**

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><p>~Five~<p>

_~Daniel~_

I was really surprised to find Lorraine in Italy. I mean _really _surprised. I'd guiltily never really thought about her much while I was away…I kind of forgot after, well, Ali. But now that I'd seen her again, I felt like I was right back in Newark. It was the same kind of feeling I had when I had reached Italy.

Rainey changed some, which surprised me, considering I never thought she'd look any different from that slightly chubby, short-haired girl with dorky braces. But her hair had grown out and was wavier, and she had blunt bangs, and she was taller and a little slimmer. The Indian part of her was really showing through now that she was older, the part she got from her ma. She actually looked kind of cute, which surprised me the most. But on the inside, she was just the same, fun-loving tomboy, minus that unexplainable pain in her eyes that I didn't want to ask about.

We had a lot of catching up to do, but we had other things to discuss, too. Like those creepy guys that attacked me in the museum. And the guy (who was named Mr. Gert) that took pity on us was still curious about what happened, and Rainey wanted to know the details too, so after he soaked Rainey's ankle in this pastel-green paste and then wrapped it in a bandage, I explained.

"I've never seen them in my life," I explained to Rainey and Mr. Gert. "I was just minding my own business and before I could leave, one of the guys told me I'd dropped my quarter…and then he knew my last name—"

"Then he has to know you," Rainey interrupted.

"—and then they all attacked," I finished. I turned to Rainey. "How could they know me? I've never been to Italy."

"I don't believe it," Mr. Gert said, scratching his mustache. "No one attacks someone in a museum. Not even in Rome."

"I saw it all happen," Rainey said. "Well, most of it, anyways."

"What about the security cameras?" Mr. Gert asked.

"They destroyed them," I replied dryly. "Took out some kind of knife and aimed it at it."

"Wait a minute," Rainey said suddenly, "they were armed!"

"Uh, yeah?"

"And they didn't pull out any weapons on you?"

"Not except that metal crowbar, but that wouldn't have killed me—" I froze. "Wait a minute…" Why didn't they just kill me?

"They _have _to know you," Rainey continued. "And they were probably aiming to kidnap you for ransom or something!" She started to get antsy. "Daniel, you've got to call the police!"

"No, no!" I said hastily, shaking my head. "You know what happens to American citizens that are kidnapped in foreign countries? It becomes a global issue. The American Embassy gets involved and all that stuff."

"So?"

"_So _I wasn't kidnapped," I explained. "And no one would believe me anyways if I told them."

"I don't," Mr. Gert said under his breath. I raised my eyebrows at Rainey and she sighed.

"I don't know, Daniel…" she said quietly. "That doesn't seem like a good idea."

"Relax, worrywart," I replied dismissively. "Besides, if my mom found out, she'd fly all the way over here just to take me back under her arm. And we're leaving in a few days anyways."

Rainey sighed again, and I could read the trouble on her face, but she said nothing more and instead stared blankly at her ankle.

_~Lorraine~_

"Unbelievable! Intolerable! Inacceptable!"

Mr. Gert had helped get a ride for us reach back to our hotel, and by that time, two of the professors were waiting there for Rainey and I. That included my fine arts professor, Agatha Buckingham, who was tall, thick, and prim. When she saw the both of us, her face twisted with rage, and now she was now lecturing us about our wrongdoings in the hall, where all the students could peek from their rooms and watch us get yelled at.

"You two ought to be ashamed of yourselves!" Buckingham shouted, pointing a meaty finger at Daniel and me.

"But I—" Daniel began, but she cut him off.

"Running away from the museum without any sense of direction of where you are?"

"We were—"

"Haven't any of you thought of the worrying your classmates and teachers would do? Or did you just think you could run in and out as you please?"

"It was—"

"We—signed—a—contract!" Buckingham bellowed, holding up two crumpled sheets of paper. "You were entirely under our supervision until the end of the trip! And if something happened to you, _we _would be responsible!"

"So you found the runaway love birds?" said a new voice. I turned my head, and walking down the hall was Mr. Brunel in his round glasses and dress shirt. He scratched his thin orange hair and eyed us. "What were you two thinking?"

Before we could even put a word in, Buckingham yelled, "_Nothing, of course!_"

"We were attacked!" Daniel finally managed to blurt.

Mr. Brunel raised his eyebrows all the way up to his hairline. "_Attacked?_"

Daniel tried to explain the whole story, but it was kind of hard, because every now and then Buckingham would click her tongue and mutter "Lies!" under her breath. Finally, when Daniel finished, Mr. Brunel scratched his head.

"I don't know what to tell you," he said slowly, and I knew all hope was gone. Mr. Brunel can't shut up for more than five seconds, so when he says he doesn't know what to say, it has to be bad. "I mean, it just doesn't seem likely…"

"Oh come on, Mr. Brunel!" Daniel said angrily.

"Enough is enough!" Buckingham said sharply. She smoothed out her pencil skirt. "Now you two had better get to your rooms immediately while we decide your punishment."

And before either of us could complain, Buckingham pointed down the hall, and we could only glare at her beady eyes and follow her orders. Before I disappeared into my room, I saw Daniel hesitate at his door, give me a funny look, and then he vanished.

We'd been banned from all trips around Italy until we had to leave. I was so furious with Professor Buckingham that I cried that night in my pillow. Ramona wanted to know what happened in order for me to get such severe punishment, but I didn't feel like telling her, so she laid off.

The next morning I slept in because I was just going to be in the hotel all day anyways. I didn't even wake up to tell Ramona goodbye, even though I heard her whisper it in my ear while I was sleeping. The information desk lady was told not to allow Daniel or me out of the hotel, so there was no chance of escape. The only good thing that came out of this was that I'd be able to hang out with Daniel.

But that didn't happen. Since I was too nervous to approach Daniel, I waited for him to approach me. It was childish, I know. I spent my first day alone reading books, wondering if Daniel wanted to talk to me or if he was mad because it _was _my fault that we'd had to run out of the museum—but I did it to save him, not get him in trouble! But then again…we could've run somewhere else in the museum, rather than head to the exit…why don't I ever use my head?

That night, when I was trying to read to take my mind off of things, Ramona came back in the room and kicked her shoes off to massage her ankles. "Hey, Rainey, how are you?" She paused and studied my face. I probably didn't look too well, because she immediately kicked into mother-mode and flew beside me to feel my forehead.

"Do you have a fever?" she asked worriedly.

"No, I'm fine," I said, pulling away from her hand. She sighed and tucked her vivid hair behind her ears.

"Are you ready to tell me what the hell happened between Daniel and you?"

I sighed and told her everything in quiet installments. When I finished, she clapped her hands together and sighed.

"I'm glad he had such an awed expression when he saw your _pretty _face," she said, squishing my cheeks and making me smile, "but an attack? Sounds fishy. Maybe you should inform the cops or something to do thorough investigation."

"Daniel says no," I reminded her. "And besides, what's the number you have to call to get the cops?"

"I think 911 is universal," Ramona said with a shrug. "Well, then again, Japan uses 110 and Britain uses 999, which is so much easier than 911 in my opinion…"

I sighed. "It doesn't matter, I won't call anyways. But today, Daniel didn't even talk to me or anything. Do you think he's upset?"

Ramona pushed my hair back. "I don't know, hon. Why don't you ask _him_?"

So the next morning, I did just that. I felt so childish freaking out to talk to Daniel—I mean, we were friends, for Pete's sake, but somehow when you like someone, you tend to overreact. And when they're your friend and know everything about you EXCEPT that you like them, it's a thousand times worse.

I wanted to dress nicely but I didn't because it would be so embarrassing if I tried. So it was the same old tee-and-sweats business. I hesitantly paused in front of the door I had previously watched Daniel vanish into. I wondered whether he would say, "Go away" or if he'd say "Come in", but my body, once again, was impatient waiting for my mind, and my hand shot up and knocked thrice on the door.

I waited. No answer. I knocked again, a little harder. Still, no answer.

"Daniel?" I called out. Nothing.

I twisted the doorknob, and to my surprise, it was open. I heard the shower running. _Okay, at least he isn't ignoring me. _

I was going to leave the room when something caught my eye. On top of one of the beds was a whole tumble of white cloth, a few books, and an envelope. Curiosity got the best of me and I quietly tiptoed towards the bed. I knew I shouldn't snoop—but I wasn't really thinking of morals and values at the time.

I picked up one of the books entitled _Okinawa—History Discovered_ and thumbed through it, which was hard to do because it was really thick and boxy. I placed it down and then unbundled the white cloth, which was really a karate robe with a beautiful patch of a tree on the back. Just looking at it reminded me of my father and his karate robe, so without thinking, I slipped it on and belted it with the black belt. _So Daniel took karate class—and not at the Y. Huh. _I examined myself in the mirror. It was a little big—okay, a lot—but I looked tough.

Then I peeled open the envelope, which wasn't sealed and gingerly slid one of the glossy contents out. It was a photo, the kind that you get in a booth. The photo was of Daniel and some other pretty blonde girl. Both of them were laughing and smiling. Instantly, my stomach flipped over and I felt like I'd been slapped. _Is this Daniel's girlfriend or something? Well, she _is_ pretty…and blonde. _

"Rainey?"

"Huh!" I nearly jumped out of my skin. I turned around and saw Daniel with this puzzled but happy look on his face. But my eyes didn't linger on his face for long…because Daniel was in nothing but a thin red towel. His skin was still glistening with water and his hair was damp. I immediately felt my face heat up.

"What're you doing here?"

"Oh—I—" I couldn't respond, because I was too busy with my eyes glued to Daniel. _Is that six abs I count? Ooolala. _

_Shameless, _spoke my conscious.

"Hey, you're wearing my karate robe!"

"S-sorry," I said quickly, shaking out of it, but Daniel laughed.

"No, it's okay. Actually makes you look tough." He stopped, carefully reading my face. "Rainey, are you okay?

"Uh…" I tried to focus on something else, like the wall or the bed. But my eyes kept bouncing right back to Daniel…hot, tan, sexy Daniel… "Uh, I'm fine…"

"Are you sure? You look a little…zoned out." He stepped closer towards me and I backed up immediately. Why didn't he realize he was half naked?

"Rainey, I'm not going to hurt you…" He stepped closer again and this time I backed up so far, my lower back crashed into the vanity with the mirror. "What's wrong? Tell me."

Suddenly, his eyes focused on what I was holding in my hands—the photo. He gently pried it from my fingers while my eyes were glued to his, and then studied it with a little smile.

"Is that your girlfriend?" I managed to choke out.

"Huh?" Now he was caught off guard. He chuckled and flicked the photo on the bed. "Nah. She's one of my ex-girlfriends."

_One _of his ex-girlfriends? "What happened between you two?"

"She left me," he said quietly. "For a football player."

He looked uncomfortable, so I said, "That's pretty dumb. Did you ever find someone else?"

"Hmm?" Up until that moment, Daniel was gazing at the photo on the bed, but now he looked at me. "Oh, well, I tried, but things never worked out. So I'm taking a break." He sighed and shook out his shoulders. "Well, I'm going to go change now."

"Okay." I headed for the door.

"Nah, you just wait right there, I'll go change in the bathroom." He opened up his suitcase and pulled out some clothes. Just as he vanished into the bathroom and I sat on his bed, he popped his head back out the doorway. "Rainey?"

"Uh, yeah?"

He smirked, and my heart quickened. "Next time you wanna see me half-naked, just _ask._"

"_Daniel, gross!_" I shouted, tossing a pillow straight for his face. He dodged it easily, laughing, and vanished.

The blush still lingered on my face.


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay guys, sorry for the super long wait for the update, but I've been so busy lately. Anyways, excuses and reasons aside, thanks a bunch to everyone who reviewed! Some of you guys should definitely make fanfiction accounts so that I can thank you guys properly and so that you guys can write you own Orig. KK fanfictions too! I'd be honored to read them since there's barely any on here :] **

**Anyways, hugs and kisses, and enjoy! **

***Edit: Oh yes, I should probably tell you that I know Daniel's dad hadn't died in a plane crash, but I put originally, because I thought that it would fit into the plot better...but now I'm having second doubts. They never exactly said what caused his death except for the fact that Daniel was there and held his hand and that was 'the greatest thing he could do for him'...so I'm pretty much going to work from there since I don't feel right about making it unrealistic.**

**(Oh and WOW Hayden you have exceptional memory! Big hugs to you and thhhaaaannnkkkkks for the long reviews! I love 'em! :D)**

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><p>~Six~<p>

_~Lorraine~_

Daniel emerged from the bathroom fully dressed, but my cheeks still simmered. We began talking about everything that happened between the time we hadn't met. He told me all about California's Cobra Kai and the amazing Mr. Miyagi, and about mean Johnny Lawrence and rich Ali. His life seemed so exciting compared to mine—I mean, going to Okinawa? Amazing! So when he asked me what I did, the only interesting part was telling him that we moved to Queens because my ma and dad got back together.

"That's cool," he said, stretching on the opposite bed. "I wish my dad was still around, you know?"

"I know."

He sighed. "Are you hungry?"

"Very," I replied, and on cue, my stomach growled.

"Well thankfully, we've got"—he pulled out a thin booklet and tossed it at me. I caught it, and it read 'menu'. I looked up at Daniel, and saw that his eyes were twinkling with mischief. He plopped down on the bed beside me and reached for the phone, placing it between his ear and shoulder while looking at the menu that I was flipping through.

"God, everything here is in Italian," I muttered, trying not to freak out with how close he was to me.

"Then order everything!" He grinned mischievously.

"Daniel, you know we're only supposed to order four meals a day because the teachers pay for extras?"

"Oh, I know," he replied smoothly, his grin widening. I raised my eyebrows.

"You know how much money that's going to cost them?"

He made an over exaggerated thinking face. "Well…in that case, think of it as them paying back for the cost of my safety that they _oh so terribly failed to protect._" He said the last part in a mock British accent, the kind that Buckingham had. I laughed.

"Okay, okay," I said, looking at the first item on the menu. "_Linguini with clam shells…_that sounds interesting. And what's this on page two? _Pomodori col Riso_? Whatever that is…"

Daniel smiled at me and reached over to dial zero.

"Ooooohhhmyyyyygooooodddd…" I groaned. "I'm so full."

Here I was, splayed on the floor, too stuffed and lazy to stand up. Daniel was next to me, gazing at the ceiling with glassed eyes. And next to him was a cart piled to the brim with half-eaten Italian cuisines. We'd been on a binge, and now we were seriously regretting it.

"Mr. Miyagi won't like to see this," Daniel said, rubbing his stomach that was still flat.

"What would he advise us to do?"

Daniel laughed. "_Take walk, Daniel-san. Walk will take pain away._"

"Does he really sound like that?"

"He sure does." He stood up, stretched, and then stuck a hand out. I took it and he helped me up.

"I think Mr. Miyagi's right," I said, wincing at the bloated feeling in my stomach. "Maybe we should take a walk around the building or something."

"Maybe we can find another exit in the back of the hotel," Daniel said hopefully.

"How far could we get? Everyone's probably coming back soon." I reached for the doorknob, but then Daniel said, "Hey, wait, what do I do with this cart?"

I turned around and said, "I don't know…we'll leave it in the hall, someone will move it." My stomach flipped over and I winced, quickly opening the door.

And then, in an instant, I froze, because something wasn't right. I blinked a couple of times, wondering whether what I saw was real or not. And sure enough, when I did, as clear as day, there was a man holding a gun pointed straight at the center of my head.

_~Daniel~_

Everything happened in slow motion, and all the while, I felt completely useless. I mean, standing right in front of Rainey was a guy with a gun, and I knew it should've definitely caught me off guard, but I kind of froze up a bit and everything started to blend around me. Rainey made a tiny little shriek and then, to my surprise, she hit the man square in his soft-spot and then knocked the gun straight out of his hand as soon as he doubled over. She slipped the load out of the gun with ease, holding the gun as easily in her hands as if she were holding a remote and tossed it across the room, where it skidded under one of the beds.

I gaped at her. "When did you learn to do that?" I gestured to the man on the floor, groaning in pain, and then at the load from the gun.

She blew her bangs out of her face. "About two seconds ago. Now _let's go_ before more of them come."

I didn't need to be told dashed down the hall towards the elevator. We waited about two seconds for it to arrive, and then got impatient and booked it for the stairs.

"What do you think they're here for?" breathed out Rainey.

"Beats me," I admitted. What did _I _of all people had that those guys want?

"It just doesn't make sense," Rainey said, more to herself than to me. I yanked open the stairway doors and we tore down the flight. When I think about it now, I wasn't really sure where exactly I was going. But I guess my body figured that those creeps knew where I was so now I wasn't safe in the hotel, and that I had to get out.

Rainey and I skidded out of the door, almost slipping on the tiles. The woman at the information desk was yelling for us to stop, and the janitor was pissed because we'd scratched the floors he'd just cleaned, but we were both too busy worrying to notice.

The sidewalk was clotted with bustling people, so it was difficult to maneuver past them. We made a sharp left, and I almost tripped on a baby stroller.

"Hurry!" Rainey commanded a few steps ahead of me. Suddenly, we both froze.

There were several men clad in expensive black pants and tight black t-shirts, running with powerful grace. I recognized them immediately. I grabbed Rainey's thin wrist and spun her around, making a run for the other side, but there were more of the men in black pouring past people there too. I stood grounded to the floor, trying to think of what to do, but before I could go very far, a roar of a car split into my thoughts. Everyone turned and I saw a mysterious figure in black tearing down the clustered road in a hoodless red Mustang. The brakes squealed and he stopped right in front of us, his aviators glinting in the bright light.

He only said three words. "Get in the car."

Rainey made a move to obey, but I held her back. "Why should we?"

He quickly took his dark glasses off and his hazel eyes read 'impatience'. "Trust me."

Before I could even think about this, Rainey leaped around into the front seat of the car. I followed suit, hopping in the back, and the engine roared back to full life, droning out the frustrated yells of the creepy guys behind us.

_~Lorraine~_

He was hot.

The guy in the car, I mean. He was extremely hot, with a slight Italian accent. He looked about twenty-five, with warm hazel eyes and dark thick hair and a very seductive smile. I don't think he meant for it to be seductive, it just was. He gave me one of those smiles as we were on the road, and I bet I began blushing like crazy.

"Who are you?" Daniel asked him.

"Giovanni Paolo," he responded, casting another devilishly handsome grin as if he liked his name. "I know a lot about you, Daniel LaRusso."

Daniel drew in his breath. "How do you—"

"Lots of people know your name," interrupted Giovanni. "You're rich, no?"

"Me?" Daniel snorted. "As if. You must have the wrong Daniel LaRusso."

"No, no, it's definitely you," Giovanni replied thoughtfully. "Your dad…he's dead, right?"

There was an odd silence in which no one said anything. I was afraid that maybe this Giovanni guy had asked something a bit too personal, but then Daniel answered, "Yeah."

"Then it's definitely you I know of, Daniel," Giovanni said. "Tell me again, how did he die?"

I frowned and turned to face the window at Rome blurring by, trying not to seem like I was listening. But I was. I always knew that Daniel's dad had died, but I never knew of the cause.

"He…uh…he died in a shooting…and he didn't, uh, make it..." Daniel sounded so uncomfortable that deep in my soul I just wanted to hug him or something. "He was walking home and there was this gang shooting going on...and before he could duck for cover...they got him on accident...in the, um, shooting..."

I bit my lip. I felt so terrible for Daniel that I was absorbing all of the pain in his voice and letting it swim through my veins. What did Daniel do to deserve this life? I bit down harder.

"That's what you think," Giovanni said to Daniel as we stopped at a light.

"What do you mean?" Daniel pressed, now leaning in closer.

"I'll explain it later," Giovanni said, distracted by the curve of the road.

"Explain it _now_," Daniel pestered.

"I said later."

"Why not now?"

"Daniel," I warned turning to give him a warning glance.

"It's my father he's talking about," Daniel replied. "I need to know now."

"He said _later_. Just be grateful he saved our butts back there."

Suddenly, the car jolted a sharp right and I slammed right into Giovanni's muscular arm.

"Whoa, _bella,_" he said softly, which made me blush, because I didn't need to take Italian to know he'd called me pretty. "Are you okay?"

I quickly pulled away and managed a nod.

"Where are we going?" Daniel asked Giovanni.

"Ask 'where are we' instead," Giovanni said, casting another grin at me, which melted my heart a little. The car stopped abruptly in front of a large hill amidst evergreens and oak trees, and perched on its tip was a Victorian styled house that looked about a hundred years old, but clean and neat. "We're already here."

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><p><strong>Haha okay, there's going to be some conflict between this hot Giovanni guy and Daniel, and I decided that this should happen because Daniel's kind of oblivious to Lorraine and he needs a reality check, if you know what I mean. Randomly enough, I picture Giovanni looking like John Stamos...if you don't know who that is, look him up :D<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**SORRY FOR THE SUPER DUPER LOOOOONG UPDATE WAIT. ****I've been extremely busy to the point where I have no time for anything! ****Luckily, when school starts, I will write for an hour a day, everyday. So my pace will pick up. Thanks so much to everyone who reviews, you guys have no idea how much it means to me.**

**Enjoy :D**

**Oh, and if things are a bit confusing/don't connect, please give me a break, I'm only fourteen :P I try my best. **

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><p>~Seven~<p>

_~Daniel~_

We hopped out of the car, gaping at the mansion. I'd never seen anything like it before. It looked like it belonged in an issue of Celebrity Homes.

"T-this is your house?" Rainey stuttered to Giovanni, who grinned at her.

"It was my parents'...but they're long-gone, so it's just me and my sister that live here..."

We started up the long, cobblestone walkway.

"What happened to them?" I asked Giovanni. "Your parents, I mean?"

"Daniel," warned Rainey, giving me her infamous "that's-a-really-rude-question" look.

"No, it's okay," Giovanni dismissed. "My dad left when us when we were little kids. My mom was devastated with his leave, and she became crazy..." He sighed deeply and said nothing more. I wondered if his ma was still alive. But I didn't want to be rude and ask.

"So, Daniel," he said hastily, changing the subject. "Who's this pretty lady?"

At first I wondered who the heck he was talking about, but then he gestured at Rainey, who was looking down at her feet and chewing her lip. She didn't answer his question, so I did.

"Lorraine," I answered for her. "Lorraine Martin."

"Oh…girlfriend?"

"Just a friend."

"Oh…okay…" he cracked a smile and looked at Rainey. "Lorraine. What a pretty name for a pretty face."

She murmured a thanks and I rolled my eyes. This guy was starting to annoy me a little.

When we reached up to the double-doors of the mansion, Giovanni pulled out his bundle of keys and opened the door. The inside was even more brilliant than the outside. Everything was shaded in warm, cozy hues of burgundy, orange, red, and chocolate brown.

"Whoa..." I said in awe. "This place is...great. Man, I wish I lived in a house like this."

"Where's your sister?" Rainey asked Giovanni.

"At work," he replied. "But she'll be home at around six...meantime, why don't you two go sit in the parlor? I'll get some champagne and we can talk."

I nodded, knowing exactly what he meant by "talk." Surprisingly enough, I didn't tell him we were a little too young for alcohol. In fact, I felt that it would help me unwind and release all the confusion, curiosity, and stress.

Giovanni guided us into a huge room with marble floors and geometric, velvet sofas. Rainey and I lounged one of them, waiting for Giovanni to come back. I started to get jittery, like I always do when I'm impatient. I wanted Giovanni to hurry up with the champagne already. I was curious as to how he knew my father…and how he knew me.

"Daniel, are you okay?"

I snapped my head up and stared at Rainey, who was giving me a worried look. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm alright."

"You sure?" she asked. "Because you were clenching your jaw really tightly…"

Before I could answer, Giovanni came loping back inside of the parlor, carrying a bottle of champagne by the neck and two three slender, tall champagne glasses.

"I know you guys aren't twenty one yet," he said with a sheepish smile, "but this should take the stress away."

He poured us bubbling cups and we cheered to surviving. I took a sip gingerly. Once it coursed down my throat, there was a sudden smoothness in my stomach, the kind that settles butterflies. I felt instantly relaxed.

Giovanni sat down on the sofa across from us, the light hitting his face from his sky-high window.

"How does it taste?"

"Good," Rainey and I said at the same time.

"That's good...it's pretty old, this stuff, but it's good…" he tapped his glass and stroked his chin, like he was deeply thinking about something.

"Well?" I blurted, getting impatient.

"Well…?" he repeated, waiting for me to continue.

"Well, how do you know me and how do you know where I am?"

Rainey gave me another one of her infamous looks, but I ignored her and went on. "I mean, have you been stalking me or something? And you obviously know who those creeps are that keep following me and trying to kill me."

Giovanni let out a weary sigh. "Okay. Alright. I think it's time you should know."

He stood up and shoved his hands in the pockets of his expensive dress pants. "Daniel…you should have never come to Italy."

"Why?" I asked, knitting my eyebrows together.  
>"You're no longer safe. I didn't ever think you would come here, but sure enough, you did. And that changes everything. Once you came here, they noticed you, and now they're out to get you."<p>

"What? Who's 'they'?"

Giovanni sighed again. "Okay. Maybe I should start from the beginning." He shook his hands at me. "Your father, he used to come to Italy a lot. Before you were born. Before he met your mom. Italy…was his home. He came every year. He found good friends and distant family. And best of all, he reunited with his godfather, Adrian Germanotta. He was your grandad's best friend, and he had a very unfortunate life…no wife or kids…"

"I've never heard of him," I replied dryly.

"When your dad arrived, Adrian had been diagnosed extremely ill, and today, that illness is known as lung cancer. His life was on a timer, and he needed to do something with all of his money—so he gave your father one last gift. _All _of his money. And that money…is yours."

I blinked. Me? Money? No, the two didn't go together. I laughed stressfully. "You—you're kidding me, right?"

"No," Giovanni replied bluntly.

"I've never had so much as a cent in my entire lifetime," I told him. "My mom and I have always been struggling with money. There's no way my dad could have—"

"There was a way," finished Giovanni impatiently. "He had lots of money from Adrian, Daniel. Lots of it. So much of it, actually, that people were willing to do anything for it."

He paused, and I suddenly realized what he was saying. "Are you telling me that someone killed him?"

"Yes, Daniel, that's exactly what I'm saying."

I felt heart pound. "Who?"

Giovanni raised his eyebrows. "Who else would inherit the money if your father died?"

I thought about this for a while. Then, I cried out, "Are you telling me _I _killed my father?"

"Not _you,_" snapped Giovanni, slightly annoyed. "Your dad's _brother._"

I blinked. "…My dad doesn't _have _a brother. I mean, he's got a cousin, Louie, and another, Jan—"

"Firenze LaRusso is your dad's long-lost brother," Giovanni interrupted. "He was adopted into the family, actually, from when he was five. He envied your father, and envied him even more when he inherited money from his godfather. So, he left shortly afterwards, and began life in Italy. He started a business, made money, became quite rich, but not as rich as your father had become."

"My dad couldn't have been rich," I told Giovanni. "Otherwise my mom would have been rich…and so would I."

"Do you think that just because a man doesn't have a fancy house or a fancy car indicates that he isn't rich?" snapped Giovanni irritably. "Your dad was smart. He left the money in a bank in Italy, waiting for when you turned twenty-one to give it to you."

I said nothing and mulled over this.

"So how did my dad die?" I asked impatiently. "Because I was there in the hospital when the doctors said that it was a shooting accident, and I…" I trailed off, remembering my mother's face scrunched up in agonizing pain and her hand that flew to her mouth when she heard the news that my dad wouldn't make it…and I remembered my own actions, the hot tears streaming down my face as I ran to see my father one last time…to hold his hand…to tell him I loved him…

Suddenly, I felt something warm over my hand. I looked next to me and saw that Rainey had inched her hand closer to mine, and she was now holding it.

"I'm fine," I told her. But she didn't budge, and neither did I. Sometimes, friends really do understand each other.

"Firenze had money, remember? And he hired henchmen to go abroad to kill your dad. But he didn't know that your father had already had a wife and son, and that the money was in your name. So he killed your dad for almost no reason."

I balled my hands in fists, suddenly seeing red. Rainey moved her hand and stroked my hair. "Relax, Daniel."

"I can't!" I snapped at her. "How am I supposed to relax when I just found out my dad's _brother_ betrayed him and killed him?"

"I understand, Daniel, but you need to calm down!"

"You_ don't_ understand," I said bitterly. "_You_ still have both of your parents."

She bit down on her lip and slid further down the sofa, and I knew I'd upset her. I didn't mean to, honestly. Before I could say anything, though, Giovanni said, "Lorraine is right. Getting worked up will do you nothing. You must calm down."

I rolled my eyes and laced my hands together before resting my forehead on them.

"So what's with the creeps chasing me?" I asked Giovanni.

"Firenze somehow knows you're in Italy," Giovanni explained. "He wants to kill you, so that he can have the money."

"How on Earth does he know?"

"That's my job to figure out," Giovanni said smoothly, winking at Rainey.

I gazed at the window behind Giovanni. A spring storm was brewing overhead the valley of green that Giovanni and his sister owned.

Suddenly, however, Rainey blurted, "Wait a minute," said Rainey all of a sudden. Giovanni looked up at her. She gave him a suspicious look. "Who—exactly—are you?"

Giovanni grinned. "I'm Giovanni Paolo, a member of the—well, the walls have ears, so I'll just say 'Italy's version of the CIA'."

"You're kidding," both me and Rainey chorused dryly.

"If you want to see my certificate and badge, I'll have to take you up to the vault," Giovanni said. "But seriously. This is my case. This is what I have to solve, according to my director. And," he added, "it helps that I am your dad's godfather's cousin's nephew."

"That explains how you know so much about Daniel…" Rainey said softly.

"You need to leave Italy right away," Giovanni said to me. "You're not safe here, Daniel."

"Well, we're leaving back for the U.S. this w—"

"You can't go back there," Giovanni said, shaking his head sadly. "He will follow you, Daniel. He will go to extreme measures. Airport security is easy to buy off. He could sneak a bomb on the plane. He now knows where you are and where you're going."

"So where can I go?"

"You—and your friend, Lorraine—will leave on a cruise ship tomorrow morning. It will dock off in an island off the coast of Greece. From that island, you'll take another boat to a smaller island, one that is completely deserted, except for the fact that it is owned by me, and I've built a house there." He grinned proudly at his cleverness.

"Wait a minute," I said slowly, "Lorraine has to come?"

"They've seen her with you," Giovanni replied. "Unless you want them kidnapping her and holding her hostage until you sacrifice yourself…"

"Oh, god," I groaned, shaking my head. "Rainey can't come…oh god; this is all my fault…"

"Daniel!" Rainey hissed, shaking my shoulders. "Daniel, look at me."

I looked at her. Her hair was a mess, her eyes were wild, and she was still in her sweats, but she looked like she was having the time of her life. "I don't care if it's both of our lives in danger or yours—I wouldn't leave you regardless. I'm your best friend, and that hasn't changed, despite however long we haven't seen each other."

"But your parents—"

"Will have to understand," she finished. "This is a very serious matter. Daniel, seriously. I'm up for everything. Besides, it's my fault I'm getting dragged along. If I hadn't left my bag at the exhibit…"

"So it's settled then?" Giovanni asked.

I sighed. "I guess so."

"Very good," Giovanni said serenely.

All of a sudden, there was a loud click and the grand doors swung open. "Giovanni, I'm home!" called a soft, sweet voice.

"That would be my sister, Mirage," Giovanni told us. Then, he called to Mirage, "We're in the parlor!"

And as both Rainey and I turned around, it was then that I saw the most beautiful woman in the world.

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><p><strong>Haha. Leave it to me to make things complicated. So, apart from poor Rainey's "I like Daniel but he doesn't notice me" problem, and Daniel's "Why does Giovanni annoy me so much" thing goin' on, we have the whole "well-there-are-creeps-chasing-us-so-I'm-going-to-be-stuck-on-an-island-with-someone-I-like-while-trying-not-to-die" for Rainey, and then Daniel's all puppy-eyed for this hot chick, Mirage, so it's all a beautiful mess ;D <strong>

**I'll try and update sometime within the week!**


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